Current Reading: 1491

by philg

I’m about 200 pages into 1491, a new book by Charles Mann about the civilizations of the Americas before the Europeans and European diseases came in.  The book is very interesting for



  • its discussion of the Indian tribes in New England and how their conflicts played into the hands of the English

  • the history of an advanced society in Norte Chico, just north of Lima, Peru, dating back to around 3500 B.C. and possibly earlier, all based on research from the last 30 years or so and much of it based on research from the 1990s

  • the texture of Indian life that comes through

  • the texture of the debates among scientists trying to piece together the histories of these almost-extinct cultures

  • lots of great maps, photos, and illustrations

Highly recommended to all residents of and visitors to the Americas.

2 thoughts on “Current Reading: 1491”

  1. I visited cahokia a few years ago, the ancient mounds there opened up my eyes to the rich history of native americans, I’d recommend a vist.

  2. Let me guess that by “advanced” you mean a society that has achieved mass food production. This is not meant to be nostalgic about hunter gatherer societies, but after reading the latest National Geograpic, heck even a recent issue for the New York Times, those hunter gatherer societies seem like they have one of the few ways of life that will be even viable in a hundred years or so.

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